At the emergency room of Argenteuil hospital, a few heatstrokes and the fear of a “complicated” summer

Arriving at the edge of the Argenteuil hospital (Val-d'Oise) on Tuesday, July 1st, the crushing heat seems punctuated by a heavy heartbeat resonating in the distance. These are the bass notes of the hospital's annual party, where 1,000 people have been invited to enjoy grilled food at 39°C to the sound of Macarena . Some precautions have been taken. There is no alcohol on the menu, the DJ has equipped himself with a fan, and guests are automatically sprayed with cold water to "avoid ending up next to it," joke the hospital staff distributing meal vouchers.

Next door is the hospital's emergency department, one of the largest daily patients in the Ile-de-France region, with a population of some 400,000. The contrast is striking between the joyful fair held under the heatwave lights and the subdued atmosphere that reigns behind the department's automated door "because the lamps heat the air," explains Catherine Le Gall, head of the emergency department for nearly twenty years.

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